"Next, we switch directions and bring the working ends around the front of the body again."
Patti watched intently as Lilith brought the rope around Alex's chest. He was dressed more casually than the last time the two of them were here: no princess dress, just a t-shirt and sweatpants. The only thing that would raise eyebrows about his appearance was the pair of bunny ears on his head, a pun so awful Patti had no choice but to admire it. Lilith, however, was just as dressed-up as before. She was a somewhat new name in the local kink scene; Patti thought she might be trying to overcompensate a bit.
"Then, we bring the working ends through the loop we just created, the one that's doubled-over." Lilith pulled the ropes through each other. "Make sure the ropes aren't crossed, that's very important."
I could do better than that,
Patti thought to herself.
She's kinda stiff with her hands. But it seems the crowd likes it.
It was a packed house at the Pink Mansion today, even more than the last class they held. Patti couldn't remember the last time they ran out of chairs. It made sense; shibari was more "vanilla" than hypnosis, so naturally it would draw a bigger crowd.
"Now we reverse again, this time going above the chest." Lilith wrapped the rope just below Alex's armpits. "And we wrap the working ends underneath this vertical part, the stern."
It was still a little surreal to Patti that she and Weiss weren't together anymore. They'd known each other since Weiss still went by Gwen, when they were both the kind of bright-eyed newbies who would've thought this presentation was mind-blowing. In a way, Weiss and kink were almost inseparable to Patti. Even though they didn't spend as much time together anymore, she couldn't quite imagine one without the other.
"We reverse one last time," Lilith continued, "and bring the working ends through the loop, just like before."
A part of Patti wondered if banning Weiss from the Mansion had been a mistake. It had all happened so suddenly; one moment she was enjoying a great hypnosis scene, and the next Weiss was getting a lightning bolt to the chest and Patti was frozen stiff. They were both scared out of their wits, and Patti knew all too well how fear could make someone do incredibly stupid things.
She remembered the first time Weiss hypnotized her. Her girlfriend had been so nervous; back then, one would hardly recognize her as the woman she was today. She hadn't bleached her hair yet, and she didn't have that leather jacket she wore all the time. She looked like any other shy, mousey girl you'd see on a college campus.
Patti already knew she was far from shy, though. They'd been together for a few months by that point, and Patti had figured out tons of ways to push her buttons. Once Weiss got into a scene, she turned out to be
quite
the little kinkster, and she provided both of them plenty of ways to explore what they wanted.
It was actually Patti who brought up hypnosis at first. It was an ever-present sight in the communities she'd stumbled into online, and the demos she'd checked out seemed pretty enticing. Weiss tried to play it cool when Patti asked her about it, but it took only a couple minutes into her first session for Patti to figure out it was something she was passionate about.
Maybe a little too passionate. Weiss ended up so turned on during the induction that she couldn't let herself go. Patti wasn't necessarily complaining; she usually had to work a little harder to get Weiss
that
horny. But it frustrated Weiss to no end. She'd fantasized about going under for so long that to have it be just out of reach was maddening. They kept trying, and they made some progress, but Weiss was never quite satisfied.
So Patti suggested that Weiss try hypnotizing her. Weiss was initially hesitant, as usual, but she figured it couldn't hurt to try. And when she started bringing Patti under, she took to it like a fish to water. The patter, the pacing, the way her voice was calm and measured yet still undeniably aroused - it was like she'd been doing it for years. Patti went deep that night. When she awoke, Weiss was grinning like an idiot, and Patti found herself smiling back.
In retrospect, it may have been the turning point in their relationship. From then on, Weiss became more and more interested in being the domme, and Patti found out she could be just as engaged as a bottom as she was as a top. Gradually, their roles reversed, and with it Weiss changed as a person. She became more confident, started dressing differently, and, eventually, started going by Weiss.
SLAM!
Lilith squeaked in a decidedly non-dominatrix-y way at the sudden loud noise that came from outside the Mansion. Fortunately for her, not many people noticed. Practically everyone in the room jumped out of their seat and gasped, Patti included.
Guess it's time to do that "authority figure" stuff.
Patti stood up and cleared her throat. "It's alright, everyone! I'll go see what the commotion was. Lilith, feel free to keep going."
Lilith nodded, trying to regain her composure. Patti strode towards the door, holding her head up high and trying to project confidence and professionalism, something she'd gotten pretty good at faking over the years.
When she opened the door, her eyes immediately went towards the dumpster at the far end of the alleyway. Every so often, some poor drunk would end up spending the night in there, and when they got out in the morning the lid tended to slam loud enough to be heard even inside the Mansion.
Sure enough, someone was staggering down the alleyway, only a few steps away from the dumpster.
I better call them a cab or something.
"Hey there!" Patti called out, taking a few slow steps towards them. "You doing okay?"
The figure didn't say anything. They just kept moving forward, swaying wildly, barely able to take a few steps forward without leaning on something for support.
Guess they haven't quite slept it off.
"Do you need any help?"
"Patti..." the figure replied, their voice hoarse and pained.
Her blood ran cold.
What the fuck... Alright, fuck this! I didn't wake up today to be in some shit horror movie!
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," Patti said, backing up slowly. "Please, just go away!"
"Patti, help... help me..."
As the figure got closer, Patti started to notice something off about them. They were dressed very strangely - a purple leotard over a black bodysuit, with long white gloves and boots. Their hair was tied in a ponytail, and didn't look matted or dirty like you'd expect from someone who spent a night in a dumpster. In fact, they looked virtually spotless.
And then they got close enough for Patti to see their face. She gasped. "Val?"
* * *
"Well, you're looking chipper this morning."
Val looked up from her phone and smiled as Gibson walked into the meeting room. This was the first time in a while that she'd beaten him here. "Morning! How are you doing, Gibson?"
"Alright." He ran his eyes up and down her body, a look of confusion starting to form on his face. "Were we supposed to be in uniform this morning? Don't remember Reuben saying anything about that."
She looked back at her phone and used the camera as a mirror, putting the finishing touches on her purple lipstick. "He didn't. I just wanted to dress up."
"Yeah?" He took his seat. "What's the occasion? We got a VIP coming in or something?"
"Or something, yes." Val couldn't wait for Mr. Hawthorne to arrive. He'd sent her a text before she got to the tower - Reuben had given him her number, he explained - telling her to wear her uniform for his presentation. Reuben would be wearing his, too. She didn't quite know why Mr. Hawthorne wanted them in their uniforms, but it was nonetheless a little exciting. It was like Reuben and her were in on a secret, one that the rest of the team would only learn about after they too had Mr. Hawthorne explain things to them.
As the rest of the group filtered in, her anticipation only grew. It was strange; even though it had been hours since Mr. Hawthorne had used his power on her, the world still appeared drained of color. It wasn't completely grey; she could still tell her uniform was purple. But there was a coldness to it. Everything felt muted, from the voices of her comrades to the way the tight fabric of her uniform hugged her skin. It reminded Val of a dream, how everything is slightly
off
in some indescribable way but one's mind prevents them from really noticing it. It's not until after one wakes up that anything seemed strange.
"He's late again." Brayden folded his arms and stared up at the ceiling. "What the hell's keeping him?"
"Beats me," said Yun-hee. "Maybe he overslept?"
"When has he ever overslept?" Gibson drummed his fingers on the table. "I dunno, guys, anyone else getting kind of a weird feeling?"
"Not really?" Yun-hee shrugged. "What makes you say that?"
"Well... I don't mean to be rude, but..." Gibson pointed at Val. "You're kinda freaking me out."
"What?" Val scoffed.
